by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Ursinus after their first year? Are Ursinus students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 85% students making it past their freshmen year, Ursinus has freshmen retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, the average is 73.24%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Ursinus | 85% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Pennsylvania | 73.24% |
There were approximately 343 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?
75% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 77% in six years, and 77% in eight years.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical Ursinus graduation rate 77%.
The average Ursinus student takes 4.05 years to graduate with their bachelors.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 335 | 75% |
| Six Years | 343 | 77% |
| Eight Years | 0 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 102 | 23% |
Approximately 102 students or 23% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 102 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
87 transferred to another institution.
Ursinus lost contact with the remaining 15 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 87 | 85.3% |
| Dropped Out | 15 | 14.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 74% |
| Black / African-American | 55% |
| Hispanic | 66% |
| International | 75% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 75% |
| Unknown | 86% |
| White | 76% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
Traditional Students:
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.
Non-Traditional Students:
Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.
The majority of students at Ursinus are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-time / full-time students at Ursinus College represent 96% of the students in the class of 2015, and 95.63% of Ursinus bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 75%, first-time students in the Ursinus class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Ursinus graduation rate was 77%, and by the eight year mark, 77% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | Ursinus | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 75% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 77% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 77% | 47.82% |
99 first-time / full-time students or 23% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
84 transferred to another institution.
Ursinus lost contact with the remaining 15 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 84 | 84.85% |
| Dropped Out | 15 | 15.15% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Ursinus first-time, part-time students.
18 Ursinus students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 4.04% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 83%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 83%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | Ursinus | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 83% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 83% | 55.07% |
3 non first-time / part-time students or 17% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
Ursinus lost contact with the remaining 0 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 100.00% |
| Dropped Out | 0 | 0.00% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Ursinus returning, part-time students.
